追索 (zhuī suǒ) — to demand repayment, to recover (a debt, right, etc.); to trace, to explore, to pursue (the origin, a clue, a development)

Definition

Formal verb combining 'to pursue/truth-seek' (追查 the origin of something) and 'to demand repayment' (as in 追索欠款 a debt). Used in legal, financial, and academic writing rather than everyday speech.

verb
to demand repaymentto recover (a debt, right, etc.)to traceto exploreto pursue (the origin, a clue, a development)

Examples

  • 追索。
    Yín háng zhèng zài zhuī suǒ nà bǐ qiàn kuǎn.
    The bank is pursuing that overdue payment.
  • 追索。
    Kē xué jiā zhuī suǒ bìng dú de qǐ yuán.
    Scientists are tracing the origin of the virus.
  • 追索。
    Zhè běn shū zhuī suǒ rén lèi wén míng de fā zhǎn lì chéng.
    This book traces the development of human civilization.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

追zhuīpursue
索suǒseek

追 (“pursue”) and 索 (“seek”) combine to mean pursue or seek.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòmovement
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂤
𠂤𠂤追zhuī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 辶 part shows movement, while 𠂤 gives the sound, for the sense of moving after or pursuing.

Open 追 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 糸糸mìthread
  • 𣎳𣎳𣎳strip fibres off a hemp stalk

索 combines 糸 (thread) and 𣎳 (stripping fibres from a hemp stalk), showing threads or rope being pulled out from a fabric.

Open 索 →

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